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72
THE MIXICOLOGIST.
drinks whiskey. It would therefore stand to reason that
if they were equally harmful, admitting that they are
harmful, the beer-drinker would suffer the more. It is
also important to bear in mind that there is a great dif
ference in temperament between different individuals.
A man who can drink beer in considerable quantities
with little bad effect, might be easily upset by a moder
ate indulgence in whiskey, and so, on the other hand,
there are many persons accustomed to whiskey who are
injuriously affected immediately on drinking beer.
Since it would be difficult to obtain proper subjects
for an experiment of this sort, it will probably answer
the purpose to compare beer-drinking countries, dis
tricts, and nations, with those that drink little beer, but
consume great quantities of whiskey. An opportunity
for such a comparison is afforded in studying the health
statistics of the north and south of England.
The percentage of deaths in the south of England is
somewhat larger, but the most curious difference be
tween the two sections is, that while the north is com
paratively free from gout and rheumatism, those diseases
are very prevalent in the south. Gout and rheumatism
are found to prevail especially in manufacturing cities.